


⥉ ten and counting

by wangzhang (bitesizedliu)



Series: detective exo au! [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Betrayal, Character Death, Corruption, Detectives, Fights, Gunshot Wounds, I'm Going to Hell, I'm Sorry, M/M, Murder, Oops, Police
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 11:47:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13270809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitesizedliu/pseuds/wangzhang
Summary: all Jongdae wanted was another cup of coffee and a solution to the cases piling up on his desk.he didn't like the solution he got.





	⥉ ten and counting

Six empty plastic cups of coffee, three case files, and one detective running on fumes sit at a desk. _One all-nighter later,_ Detective Kim Jongdae thought to himself, _and there’s nothing, not even a solid lead._

About a week and a half ago, the first murder occurred. Lee Soonkyu, a seemingly normal high school senior, was found dead at Jem Lake with three bullets in a triangular shape in her chest. There was not a single trace of evidence at the scene, at least not any the forensics team could find, even the bullets were gone.

Three days later, college student Choi Minho was tied up and tossed in the meat refrigerator at Park’s Meat Locker. He died of starvation. There were four tick marks carved into his ankle. He was found after complaints about late shipments started getting to Mr. Park, who was on vacation at the time. Mr. Park’s delivery girl, Kim Taeyeon, had not been seen for two days. Either she was another victim to be found, or an accomplice. There was no telling who she was, where she went, or why she disappeared.

Choi Jinri was the next victim. She was a high school dropout that lived with her dad, and had a record with the police. Vandalism, noise complaints, a little shoplifting here and there, but nothing more. Jinri was not the most outstanding kid and did not have the best life growing up, but according to her dad, “she wasn’t the type to get into deep trouble.” The poor girl was stabbed six times in an alleyway, strangely, in the best part of town. Why Jinri was there and how nobody had heard was a mystery.

And now, another sunrise, another mystery to add to the never ending list.

 

“Jongdae,” Officer Zhang Yixing, Jongdae’s co-worker, greets, shaking Jongdae’s shoulder. “It’s a new day. I’ll get you coffee.”

Jongdae stands a tad to abruptly, making himself lightheaded. He steadies himself against his desk. “No, no, I’ll grab it myself.”

“Does Chief know that you stayed overnight?”

“No,” Jongdae Yixingd again. “And I trust you won't tell?”

Yixing nods and enters the break room. Both men drink their coffee in comfortable silence.

“Have you heard about what the other officers are saying about your case?” Yixing asks, pouring himself another mug. “They're saying that it's the mob issuing hits.”

“On kids?”

Yixing laughs. “Yeah, that doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

The time is 7:57 a.m. Other officers, detectives, and pathologists will be arriving soon. Chief Jung will want a status report on the cases. Jongdae can already hear some of them filing in.

“Kim Jongdae? Are you in here?” A young, fresh looking officer came stumbling into the room. “Oh, hi! Chief wants to see you in her office.”

Jongdae nods and follows the boy out. He doesn’t think he has seen him around the station before. “What’s your name, kid?”

The officer smiles bright. “My name’s Byun Baekhyun. I’m new around here.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jongdae says and pats him on the back. “I hope to see you around the station.”

Jongdae turns into the Chief’s office, only to see an angry looking Chief Jessica Jung holding two case files.

“Jongdae, I've got another case for you,” she says, handing over one of the beige folders. “Kim Heechul, graduate from Montpelier High School, tied to the school’s flagpole after being electrocuted to death. The autopsy is done, but you can go see the body if you want.”

 _Great_ , Jongdae thinks _, I don’t have anything on these cases, and now there’s another one._ “What’s the other file?”

The Chief hands it over as well. “This is a person of interest, Kim Minseok. Someone dropped a tip at the station three days ago,” she explains. “We had two detectives tail him for the past few days and they’ve reported suspicious activity. It’s all in the file. I want you to go and talk to him.”

Jongdae nods, saying “Yes, Chief” and leaves Chief Jung’s office. He glances at the other file.

**Kim Minseok**

  * **Birthdate: March 26th, 1990 (Age: 27)**
  * **Address: 4381 Buck Drive, South Burlington, Vermont 05403**
  * **Phone: 802-232-0858**
  * **Occupation: Chief Financial Officer @ IBM Vermont**
  * **Height: 5”8**
  * **Weight: approx. 130 lbs**
  * **Physical Description: Dark hair, fair skin, brown eyes**
  * **In close relation with Choi Jinri’s family before and after murder**
  * **Owns a cabin @ Jem Lake and was present at the time of estimated death of Lee Soonkyu**
  * **Graduate of Burlington High School**



Jongdae looks at the time. He figures he has enough time to see Heechul’s body and make it to IBM by 8:45. He travels down to the morgue, stopping once to hear Baekhyun tell him that he is the new deputy on Jongdae’s cases. Jongdae brings him down to the morgue too.

“Morning, Amber,” Jongdae greets. “What’s the rundown?”

Amber Liu is a pathologist at the station, and Jongdae’s longtime friend. She has dark brown hair styled in a boy cut, but still long enough for her to run her fingers through it when she is stressed. Her right arm is covered in tattoos from shoulder to wrist, and she looks intimidating up front, but Amber is a big softie on the inside.

“I’m sure someone told you about Mr. Heechul’s ‘accident’,” Amber says with a grimace. “There was nothing abnormal other than… well, you can see it for yourself.”

Amber opens one of the cold chambers and pulls, assumably, Kim Heechul's body out. She unzips the body bag and yanks away the plastic. Baekhyun gags.

The boy’s chest has a large charred mark over his heart, his eyes are sunken, and bruises littered his body.

“W-what happened to him?” Baekhyun gasps. Neither Jongdae nor Amber answer.

“The weird part is on his toes,” Amber explains, zipping the upper half and unzipping the bottom. She lifts his foot. “He has seven toes… um, _burnt._ Four on the right, three on the left. I don’t get it but-”

“I do,” Jongdae mutters. “It makes a lot of sense now. Soonkyu was shot three times, Minho had four tick marks on his ankle, Jinri was stabbed six times, and now Heechul has seven burnt toes. The murderer, whoever it is, has been keeping count of their victims! We’re missing one, two, and five.”

Jongdae leapt towards the door. “Baekhyun, get as many officers assigned to missing persons cases as you can. I’m going to visit Mr. Kim Minseok.”

⥉

“Mr. Kim? You have a visitor,” a secretary mumbles before skirting out of the way. Jongdae looks into the spacious office to see a young man typing at a desk. His dark hair is falling in front of his face, his brows are furrowed.

After hearing her secretary speak, Kim Minseok’s head perks up.

“And you are?” he asks, his tone stiff.

Jongdae smiles politely. “Hi, Mr. Kim. I’m Detective Kim Jongdae. I’ve come to ask you a few questions about some recent incidents here in the city.”

Minseok shoots a look at his secretary. “Diana, go back to work. I’ll handle this.” He turns his attention back to Jongdae. “Take a seat and ask away.”

“Well, sir, I hear that you’ve been in close relations with the Choi family around the time of Jinri’s unfortunate death. May I ask why?”

“That’s simple. I’m surprised Mr. Vern didn’t tell you,” Minseok says. “I helped the Choi’s find a lawyer to defend Jinri in court after a family sued for vandalism. We won.”

Jongdae nods, scribbling the knowledge down.

“I’ve also been informed that you own a cabin down by Jem Lake. Is that true?” Jongdae inquires.

Minseok nods, saying, “Yes, I’ve owned it for about two years now. How is this pertinent to the Choi’s?”

Jongdae explains how Lee Soonkyu was killed less than a mile and a half away from Minseok’s cabin. He questions why Minseok was there and how he did not hear gunshots.

“I normally rent a boat and spend a day in the water,” Minseok replies. “Besides, I hear gunshots in those woods often, so if I had heard any that night, I wouldn’t have thought much of it.”

Jongdae studies his expression. He doesn’t seem as if he is lying, he thinks. He straightens in his chair before asking, “What exactly do you do here, Mr. Kim?”

Minseok gives a tight lipped smile.

“I’m the Chief Financial Officer, so I am accountable for the treasury actions and help make decisions for the company. In simple terms, I’m a glorified treasurer.”

Jongdae chuckles at the statement as Minseok turns back towards his computer.

“Speaking of my job,” Minseok says with a loud sigh, “I need to get back to work. Is that all you need?”

Jongdae nods and stands. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Kim.”

“Of course, anything to help find whatever psycho killer hurt those kids. If you have any more questions, please, call me,” Minseok says, his expression full of sincerity. He hands over a business card.

“Yes, thanks again.” Jongdae turns on his heel and heads toward the door. He looks back at Minseok again. He’s already glued back to his monitor, looking frustrated at whatever is on his screen.

“If you remember anything about Ms. Soonkyu or Jinri,” Jongdae says, “Feel free to call.”

“Mhm.”

On that note, Jongdae opens the door leading out of Minseok’s office. Before he has the door cracked open, someone is shoving past him and into the room. Jongdae falls to the floor with a grunt. He scrambles to his feet, only to have a dark hood thrown over his head and Jongdae is on the ground again. There is pressure on his back and someone’s restraining his hands. Minseok is yelling, trying to call for security, but Jongdae knows he is in trouble. He hears him struggle, then there’s a loud thud. Silence follows.

“Is the guy out?” the attacker over Jongdae asks. His voice is gruff and ragged.

There has to be a silent communication, because then a foot is colliding with Jongdae’s head and he is knocked unconscious.

⥉

Jongdae’s next memory of being awake is when he is lying down on concrete floor, his hands unrestrained. A light is visible through Jongdae’s peripherals, but his mind is still too hazy to comprehend the dire situation. His gear is gone, so he has nothing to help him. Faint footsteps echo nearby and Jongdae tries to look as if he is still unconscious. It is his best shot for survival.

As the mysterious people approach, Jongdae hears plastic dragging across the floor and muffled struggling.

“Oh, Jongdae, get up,” a familiar voice says, and Jongdae’s head shoots up. Chief Jung stands over him, her dark eyes surprisingly striking. Kim Minseok struggles against a stiff looking henchmen, his mouth gagged. Another man is dragging a black body bag across the room.

Chief Jung smiles, making Jongdae shiver. Her smile is maniacal and unsettling. This isn’t the chief Jongdae has known and worked with; Chief Jung is unfamiliar to him.

“You took a nice nap,” the Chief says, eyeing Jongdae carefully. “Your friend is looking worse for the wear, you know. We’ve been having so much fun without you.”

Upon further inspection of Minseok’s face, Jongdae sees that his face is red and splotchy, and tears stained down his cheeks. His blazer is torn in multiple spots; deep red cuts being visible.

“Chief, what is this?” Jongdae is shaky standing, but he manages. “What’s gotten into your head?”

The Chief laughs. “I thought you were daft, Jongdae, but not like this! Isn’t it obvious? You and Mr. Kim are about to be nine and ten.”

Minseok freezes. Jongdae’s heart skips a beat.

“Nine and ten,” he repeats, trying to comprehend what Chief Jung meant.

Then it hits him. The murderer is keeping count of their victims, giving distinct marks of who their kills are in order. So if the last victim had seven burnt toes, and Jongdae and Minseok are nine and ten, that would mean…

“Who’s in the body bag?” Jongdae asks in a low tone, his heart racing.

“I knew you’d figure it out!” The Chief has an ecstatic smile on her face, and if not for the horrifying scenario they were in, Jongdae would have thought she was genuinely sane. “And in body bag number one…”

Chief Jung unzips the bag and Amber Liu's body falls onto the concrete. Jongdae cannot see any wounds themselves, but the amount of blood on Amber’s clothes tells Jongdae he does not want to see them. He could almost throw up at the sight of his friend.

“You see, our lovely pathologist Amber had just recently informed me of your breakthrough on the case. When she told me this, I knew that I had to take some necessary actions to ensure my safety,” the Chief explains. “You and Amber were obligatory. Poor Mr. Minseok is, well, collateral damage.”

“Leave Minseok alone,” Jongdae grits out, breaking eye contact with Chief Jung to spare a glance at Minseok. His eyes are wide with fear and he is still struggling to escape the man holding him.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” the Chief scolds, “I can’t ensure his silence unless he’s dead. Unless both of you are dead.”

Then something in Jongdae takes hold, and he loses all control over his body. He lunges at Chief Jung, grabbing at her arms and dragging her to the floor. The man holding the body bag is on Jongdae in seconds, yanking him off the Chief, but this gives Minseok time to wiggle free from his captor. He then starts smacking the man with the sole of his shoe rather aggressively; dazing him. Minseok runs to help Jongdae, but Chief Jung cuts him off, kicking Minseok’s legs out from under him. Jongdae watches Minseok fall harshly to the floor, unable to help.

“Silly Jongdae. Escaping takes finesse and focus, none of which you have,” the Chief teases, laughing. “Let’s make this quick, okay? We’ll have to find a way to show which numbers you two are…”

Chief Jung pauses, lost in thought, and Jongdae struggles against the man holding him.

“Stay still, Jongdae, I’m thinking,” the Chief reprimands. “Minseok, dear, smile. I want to see which teeth I’d like to pull. You won’t miss nine, will you?”

Minseok’s eyes begin to water again and his mouth is clamped shut.

“Leave him alone,” Jongdae snaps, anger bubbling inside him.

The Chief smiles at Jongdae enthusiastically. “And you! Jongdae, how do you feel about not having fingers anymore? Of course by then you’ll surely be dead. It’ll be marvelous!”

“You’re a sociopath,” Minseok mutters, tears streaming slowly down his cheeks. “You’re- you-”

Chief Jung turns to Minseok angrily, and it gives Jongdae an idea. He lifts his legs and kicks the Chief in the back. The Chief flies into Minseok and the other man. The three topple to the floor. Minseok scrambles away from the other two while Jongdae kicks backwards at his own captor.  Jongdae scores when he hits the man in the back of the shin, which in turn leads them both to fall. Minseok and Jongdae take off towards the nearest exit, wherever that is.

“Are you-” Jongdae starts.

“I’m fine! Just go, go!” Minseok is clutching his sides as she runs, his face contorting in pain.

They make it into a darker warehouse, stopping to catch their breath.

“We have to keep going,” Minseok pants, leaning on Jongdae for support. “People have to know.”

“I know,” Jongdae says, glancing at their surroundings for possible escapes. “Follow me, I think I know a way. There’s the way we came, but if we go to the end of this warehouse, there should be-”

A gunshot and a searing pain in his upper left side shuts Jongdae up.

“Jongdae!” Minseok cries, leaning down to help him. Jongdae places a hand on his wound and can feel the blood gushing out.

“Jongdae,” Chief Jung says, mockery laced in the name. “Get over here, boy, I’m running out of patience.”

From Jongdae’s view, he sees Minseok jump to his feet and take to the far side of the warehouse, where one of the henchmen from before grabs him from behind. He screams wildly, thrashing in an attempt to escape.

“Quiet!” the Chief shrieks, her hand holding the handgun steady.

There is another gunshot, then eerie silence. Minseok crumples to the floor. His eyes are searching, using his last bit of energy to find Jongdae’s face. Jongdae makes to move, but a heavy foot is on his back, right on top of his wound. He cries out in pain.

“Oh, you’re such a wimp, Kim Jongdae,” Chief Jung ridicules, bending down to meet Jongdae in the eye. She presses the gun up under Jongdae’s jaw, and he tenses.

“You’ll make a lovely case file,” Chief Jung says, laughing.

The world falls black as soon as Jongdae hears the starts of a gunshot.

⥉

“Byun! My office, now.”

Baekhyun Byun slips into the office, his heart racing. He hasn’t been called yet, so has he done something wrong now? Chief Jung nods at Baekhyun as he steps inside. He looks to the left and sees Officer Zhang Yixing sitting in one of the chairs, looking through several files.

“I know you’re new around here, but I want you and Officer Zhang to take on Detective Kim Jongdae’s last case, or cases,” the Chief says with a sad smile. “Jongdae and Amber were good people. I want you to find who is doing this. I trust you’ll work your hardest.”

Baekhyun stands a bit taller and accepts the files Chief Jung is offering him.

“Don’t worry, Chief, you can count on us,” Baekhyun says, gesturing to him and Yixing. “We won’t disappoint.”

Chief Jung nods, eyeing the two with a look Baekhyun can’t distinguish. She nods, then gives them a warm smile.

“I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> hi sweeties! i hope you enjoyed the story! fun fact: this story was actually an assignment i wrote for creative writing, and was actually submitted for the 'young voices of america' short story contest!  
> now, of course, i didn't submit a xiuchen fanfiction in the contest, but every character had an imaginary american to replace them. the only character i didn't change (other than a last name) was amber!
> 
> (?) should i write a baekxing sequel?
> 
> i am really proud of this story and i hope you all liked reading it as much as i liked writing it!  
> until next time!


End file.
